Beamshaping and polarization control properties of flexible hollow metallic rectangular pipes in the midinfrared

Radiation patterns of midinfrared (MIF) lead-salt tunable diode lasers (TDL) after transmission through a flexible hollow rectangular metallic pipe are studied. Near 100 percent transmission efficiency and polarization control properties are observed, leading to possible TDL waveguide encapsulation as an MIF source assembly with well-defined far-field radiation pattern and polarization.